Looking For You in the Sky
by Panduh-Fox-love
Summary: The sealing not complete, Minato and Kushina mourn their lost child, who's body was never found. 16 years later, the Hokage employs "The Nameless", a group consisting of nine powerful members. Naru/Hina
1. Chapter 1

**Another plot bunny has been haunting me. Like, stalking me. I had to do **_**something**_**. Review if you want more. **

**Okay, I don't know if this is legal or not, but I'm still asking. Anyone want to write Minato's part for me? I'll explain where I'm planning it to go, and it might be fun to have two different people writing for the same story. Just contact me if you're interested at all. Or if it's totally not fanfiction legal, and I'll take this down. **

~Bijuu~

There was a dripping sound echoing across the damp prison. Red and blue light mingled in places, seemingly pouring off the leaking pipes. Little droplets of blue and red pooled into a mess of purple goo on the ground. The sun was nowhere to be found. The soft sound of water dripping onto concrete was the only lullaby here. The damp sarcophagus had mold growing in places, bits of wall chipping off onto the wet ground. Said walls, colored with black lines and shapes, were fading fast. The ink echoed for the taste of blood, pulsing against the cold stone. It was a maze of metal and rock, the corridors going on forever if you let them. This was the same scenery as it had been years ago. Nothing had changed from when this land can to be, with the same tenant as before.

"Kyu wake up!" A voice echoed across the empty landscape, reverberating against the bars stretching from floor to ceiling in a particularly red room. The small voice was the opposite of this gloomy landscape- joyful and hyper. As to be expected of the small boy standing bravely among the water, his hair shining yellow. He was the only one not black, grey or red in this place. In the corner a large red lump of fur stirred with a growl. The boy gave no rest however, seemingly oblivious to the sleeping monster. "It's my birthday today! Wake up wake up wake up!"

"I am not your guardian small one. It is not my _job_ to celebrate your existence." There was a pause and the fur blob let a deep breath out. "Go back to sleep…"

"Nu-uh!" The almost shrill voice was back, increadibly loud for coming from such a small body. "You're the only one I have to tell!" The small one hopped from foot to foot joyously. Even the great monster's pessimism and coldness couldn't get him down today!

Again the beast stirred, now thoroughly annoyed. "The sun is barely up Kit."

"Yeah, yeah." The significantly smaller one said, undaunted by the sleeping one's power and mass. "Come on Kyuubi, you promised to teach me to control our chakra today!"

Another low growl from the sleeping monster cut the young boy's voice off. "If you don't shut up, I'm not teaching you anything Naruto!" A moaning sound reached the Kyuubi's ears, and he flicked them in annoyance. "Don't give me that pouty shit. It's time you learned some manners you untamed wild boy…"

"I'm tamed! At least, I don't bite!" Naruto seemingly struggled with keeping the pout out of his voice and off his face. He had learned long ago that pouting didn't get him anywhere, but it was still fun to do.

Kyuubi huffed and rested his huge head on his paws. "Anyway, I don't remember that so called 'promise'…"

"I do, I do!" Kyuubi bared his teeth at Naruto's excitement. It was hardly six in the morning, how could he have so much energy? "Remember you said that when I managed to steal a shinobi's weapon, I was ready for training!"

That perked Kyuubi's ears. He never expected the young jinchuriki to actually be stupid enough to _do_ it. And how did Naruto do it without Kyuubi knowing? Granted, the fox slept a lot. The boy was only…only…"Kit, how old are you now?" The beast had tried, and succeeded, in blurring out how many years he had spent trapped in this body.

"Eight! I'm eight years old! I know because you taught me how humans count suns instead of moons, because in our way I would be almost 99 moons old! It's special because it's almost a three digit number, which is one hundred!" He was jumping as he explained, his arms flailing in the air. Finally Naruto shut up, waiting to hear Kyuubi's response. Usually the boy could go on and on and on, but today he was excited, enough so to stop talking and listen.

The Kyuubi thought for a moment, weighing his options. If he taught Naruto, the boy would be able to survive much easier, especially with all the known enemies after the Jinchuriki. Thankfully the fox had managed to keep the boy under the radar, but as time went on and he got bigger, it would be harder to hide him. Naruto would get even more restless as well. He had no choice, for his own sake as well as Naruto's. He wasn't going to have the boy rely on other for protection, so the only thing to do was make sure he was well prepared, so not to get them both killed.

Kyuubi sighed. "Very well. But-" He stopped Naruto and his cheering before he carried on. "I'm still tired. I am going back to sleep and you…do something not dangerous." He heard Naruto laugh.

"You already admitted you're not my guardian. Why should I listen to you?" Kyuubi growled. "Be-_sides,_ You're in my body. I can do _whatever_ I want!" The boy turned around flippantly, stalking out of the red room with as much dignity as an eight year old could muster.

Kyuubi rolled his eyes and set his head back down, closing his large eyes slowly. There really was no stopping the brat. He was annoying, but unfortunately he was also the only hope for Kyuubi's freedom.

~Naruto~

In the middle of a clearing stood the boy. He was stretching his neck upwards, facing the sky as wind brushed the leaves. His blond hair ruffled slightly, the points never falling from their gravity-defying perch. With his eyes closed, he looked like he was sleeping. Small leaves dropped and swept by the boy, a single green leaf touching his feet before being swept by the wind. The small eight year old was calm, a rarity in any child especially this one. He let the wind caress his whiskered cheek before taking in the deep scent of the surrounding forest.

His bare feet rested gently on the ground, uncovered by shoes and perfectly comfortable. The boy had never worn shoes as he can remember. And because he was raised in the forest, the thrum of the earth beneath his feet was a familiar feeling. He didn't know what he would do if he were cut off from it. His baggy pants barely came to his ankles, swaying in the wind. Once white, the now pale and brown blotched pants were barely clinging to his small frame, stained from many adventures in the forest. His chest was uncovered, with small strips of brown on either side that could barely be recognized as a vest.

A gust of wind flew through the forest, flattening grass as it went. Blue eyes snapped open as the boy fell backwards onto his behind with a loud protest. The wind flapped his vest as a tanned hand went up to cover his face. The wind roared for a moment and a pointy grin spread under his dark arm.

Naruto's ocean eyes shown as he lowered his arm again, shimmering with excitement.

~Naruto~

The boy wandered, kicking stones on his way. He wanted to start training NOW. But Kyuubi was stubborn, and the human couldn't make him do anything he didn't want too. Still, Naruto could hardly complain. After all, Kyuubi made sure he could hunt for himself, and he gave him sufficient enough exercises to do to keep him busy.

Naruto wandered, unconsciously shying away from the road. He had lived in the forest as long as he could remember, finding food for himself by stealing it or hunting it himself. He had never had a home, but he didn't really mind. The forest was his home.

Naruto had plenty to do! He convinced himself, trying to lift his spirits after his disappointing birthday morning. There was always the next meal to plan, the next prank to pull, the next person to scare or steal from. He picked the sharp object from his pocket. He thought it was called a Kunai? He began to twirl it in his fingers, remembering the man he stole it from.

The unsuspecting human male was just walking, humming to himself with an odd look on his face. His long, white hair was only topped by the red stripes on his face. It was an odd man, dressed in large clothing and walking on wooden shoes that clamped every time he stepped. He had a huge nose and weird face. Still, he had looked like the perfect target for his next prank.

Naruto crouched in the bushes, watching carefully. He clutched a grey circular container tightly in his hand. Kyuubi had taught him to hunt, so like a demon he crouched silently. For years he had been doing this, and he was only caught once. And that didn't last long either. Kyuubi would have been proud, if he had any excess pride to give. You'd think the ego-inflated fox would dish out a compliment now and then.

When the man was in the perfect position, he stopped. His eyes darted around and Naruto smiled. The man was probably a ninja. And like all the other ninja he'd encountered, the man knew he was here but knew not where. Suddenly, Naruto jumped. The man surged into action as well, twirling around and pushing out a foot towards the boy.

The blond used the foot to propel himself over the man, and once over his unsuspecting head, cracked open the container he clutched. Pink dust scattered and the man began to cough, looking around for his attacker. He threw two Kunai, but they hit wood by the sound of it. Naruto went and picked one up, shoving it in his pocket and waited for the dust to clear.

It didn't take long. The dust cleared and as the pinkness settled to the ground, the man stared at him, mouth wide open. Naruto smiled evilly, the man's long, perfect, white hair now a horrid pink color. The man had yet to notice, and was still staring at him. Naruto didn't really care though, he had his kunai and his mission was complete. He laughed and rushed into the forest.

He heard yelling behind him, but he barely spoke human, so he ignored it. His silver necklace bounced against his bare chest as he ran, laughing hysterically. That would teach travelers to invade his territory!

Still, that look had bothered him over time. A lot of people gave him that look, like they were surprised he was there. Of course, that might be because he was a Bijuu hiding in a forest, a child all alone. But some yelled at him, even chased him. And some he didn't even prank.

Maybe they just heard of his reputation or something. Yeah, that must be it. They heard he was pranking people, innocent travelers and decided to do something about it! Well, they can't, because Naruto was the best ninja there was!

He was smiling broadly again, the memory significantly raising his spirits. He wandered for a while before deciding to throw the kunai around a little. Kyuubi hadn't woken up yet, so he might as well train with something. Naruto chucked the knife object at a nearby tree, scattering squirrels.

"Sorry!" The blond yelled in panic, speaking in the only language he knew. The language of the beasts. "I didn't mean to scare you!" After a few moments, the squirrels re-emerged and scuttled towards him. Naruto smiled widely. He had friends everywhere. In the trees, in the water. Who needs humans?

~Later~

Naruto was doing his regular thing when Kyuubi woke. The boy was doing crunches while balancing a stick on his head, using chakra. It was hard, and it made his forehead break out in sweat. He relished in the challenge. Maybe Kyuubi hadn't taught him any dangerous, fighting techniques yet, but he knew how to fight and hunt and control chakra pretty well. After all, he had been doing this his entire life. He had to advance quickly, if he wanted to survive.

Kyuubi yawned and rolled over, knowing he had to wake up eventually. The brat would pester him once he got bored, and it was about time he taught the kit how to protect himself. Maybe a simple demon ball jutsu would be enough. It would take a while to learn and keep him occupied, that's for sure.

In the back of his mind, the demon worried. Could there be any harmful effects to the human interacting with him so much, at such a young age? He was already borrowing his chakra, and his whisker marks had gotten more pronounced. Because the boy had been subject to the Kyuubi's chakra in the womb, Naruto would be even more susceptible to his chakra now. Which would make it easy to corrupt him, but at the same time it could kill the boy. Which, in turn, would kill Kyuubi. And he couldn't have that.

The fox sighed. Why couldn't he just return the annoying brat to his village? Oh right, he wanted to corrupt him. For some reason, he didn't think it would be that easy. The boy had a will of his own and even though he was a little more violent and harsh than he normally would have been, he still wasn't up to Kyuubi's standard. The brash boy was hard-headed and stubborn, and not budging to look at the world and see it for what it was-a dark and sinister place. He didn't believe you had to eat or be eaten. No, the stupid boy had to stop to help every passing human. Sure, he played pranks like any self respecting kitsune, but the range of his stunts were severely hindered by this morality of his. Even when Kyuubi brought that up, the boy didn't budge.

And that boy loved his pranks. The huge fox stood wearily and stretched. He had hoped that growing up in the forest would give the boy a more harsh nature, but the human still had soft spots as often as he had skin instead of fur. Well, there wasn't really anything Kyuubi could do about that-

The fox stopped his thoughts abruptly. Actually there was a way he could do that. He began to make a list in his mind, jutsus and training methods, exercises that the boy would actually WANT to do.

This would be the kit's best birthday yet. This is the year he actually learns how to fight.

~Naruto~

Naruto sat in a clearing, cross legged and listening to his inner mentor. The fox was demonstrating how to control a Beast ball. For once, the kit was sitting and listening acutely, excited about learning something! For Kyuubi to trust him with these Jutsus must mean he thought he was responsible and at least a little proud! He wouldn't give him a reason to distrust him, ever! Naruto almost pined for acknowledgment from the fox, and the Kyuubi put up with it because he knew the child would eventually. After all, he didn't have a real father or mother around to give him this… 'support'. And though Kyuubi knew next to nothing about raising kits, he put up with the bragging and pining for love. He once even gave the boy a compliment. Now the boy was determined to get more. He was listening silently, not even squirming. If he knew how to write, he would have been taking notes.

So Kyuubi lectured him like he had never lectured him before. Before this, the boy was small enough to go unnoticed. The Kyuubi had made up his mind to train the human container to the peak of his ability-even if that meant having to give positive reinforcement. While living in the wild was a great way to learn to survive, the container was weak and unprotected. All the boy had was his physical prowess and hunting skills, which wasn't very encouraging.

The Kyuubi taught him how to control his own chakra, and now it was time for him to learn to control Kyuubi's. After all, how could an eight year old get by without leaning on the older and more experienced demon? They would be dead before his first real ninja fight. Kyuubi had an entire plan in mind for training. The real test began tonight, with the annual festival in Konoha.

~Naruto~

A small blond blur darted past a great stone wall. The boy skidded to a halt behind a tree as Kyuubi instructed him. Gingerly, the boy placed his foot on the tree trunk and heaved himself up with chakra. He slipped onto a tree limb at the very top, his arms shaking from excitement.

"Kyu, are you sure this will work?" He whispered.

The fox snapped angrily. "If I thought you would get caught, I wouldn't be having you do this would I? Besides, it's good practice." The beast liked his paw contently. "No more stealing from civilian stores, this time, we infiltrate a village." A glint of evil could surely be seen in his eyes. Naruto smiled softly, thinking of the Fox's words. Does that mean the demon cared about what happened to him? Kyuubi snarled again. "And stop calling me that ridiculous name! I am not a pet you little-" He bit his tongue and refrained from swearing around the Kit.

Naruto nodded, examining the wall. Channeling chakra to his eyes like Kyuubi taught him, his eyes turned red in the night and he could see all the clearer. There were no shadows, only a slight green tinge. He suppressed a whisper of amazement and focused on his task. Two sentinels, one on either side of where Naruto was. If he could go straight through the middle, without being seen, he could be home free. It seemed too easy though, and Kyuubi suspected the same thing.

Before the fox could advise more surveillance, the boy leapt forward, his feet landing on the wall and sticking to bother their relief.

"Naruto you brat what on earth-" Kyuubi's scolding was cut off as the boy rushed upwards, keeping low to the wall so not to be seen. But before he got to the top, a siren went off and kunai buried themselves at his feet. He skidded to a halt, managing to dodge or deflect the rest of the kunai with his own. Without any prompting, the blond dropped, rushing off to another section.

"You slug-brained idiot." Kyuubi hissed.

"Well, look at it this way. At least they'll be watching THAT area right now. Like a distraction!" Naruto whispered to himself, determined to be optimistic. Kyuubi simply rolled his eyes. Let the chaos continue.

Naruto again launched himself from three different sides, only to have the same thing happen each time. He was beginning to think they had some kind of detection system. Hanging back on a tree, Naruto looked on as the festive lights glittered above the wall, accompanied by the music, the tantalizing smells of sweet and sickly human food. Laughter echoed throughout, undisturbed by the sirens and the demon boy trying to get in.

Finally, Naruto decided to try something different. This approach was obviously not working. Kyuubi, once again, rolled his eyes. Better late than never. The blond crouched along the wall and reached out a hand, touching the cold surface. So, the wall itself didn't have a system. That was the first step. A shimmer could be seen in his eyes as Naruto's IQ spiked, the intellectual challenge demanding a solution. He had an idea.

Sending tendrils of chakra out, he roamed the wall. His hand grazed the surface and after three rounds, his blood began to eke out from under it. Finally, he came to a halt. His chakra had found the weakest part of the wall, where cracks were forming and the structure was damaged. He was going to get in!

Pulling a fist back, he rammed it into the wall, sending little chunks of dust and rubble reigning down.

Kyuubi sighed. Maybe the boy wasn't yet ready for this. "Naruto, you can't-"

"I can." He half whispered, pulling his fist back again. "I will." He punched the wall, blood mixing with dust as his knuckles scraped the wall.

Kyuubi just watched in disbelieve as the blond, pointy haired boy punched a wall. Disbelieve, at first, because he was stupid enough to try. Disbelieve, because even when his hand pained and his middle finger broke, he kept punching. Disbelieve, at last, because it was working.

With every hit the small section of wall shuddered. Kyuubi then noticed the odd coloring, slightly darker than the rest of the wall. If the boy had begun hitting any part, nothing would have happened besides a broken hand. But here…it was old. Old, broken and not repaired. The circle of different colored wall shuttered with another hit.

He pulled back his hand, fire burning in his bright blue eyes. He plunged his hand forward again, envisioning it going completely through the wall. A loud crack sounded and he bit his tongue. He couldn't disappoint Kyuubi. He had to show him, he was ready!

~Hinata~

There was a pond, surrounded by gently pruned trees and flowers. The garden was uninhabited save for one small girl. About seven or eight years old, the young girl sat in the flowers gently, watching the water move with pale empty eyes. Her perfect purple dress, the one her nanny had picked out for her, was getting stained with the grass, but she hardly noticed. Her purple hair, cutting off at her chin, swung up as the girls head jerked forward. She had been day dreaming, not really excited about the festival. So she had snuck off and come home, to her favorite garden.

The garden was next to the wall, and older part of the wall were no one really ventured. This way, she was closer to the outside, closer to the forest. Closer to freedom, to escape. Hinata secretly wished to see the outside, her sheltered life driving her away. Thoughts of being like a bird, flying free, made her thoughts drift as she began to hum.

Her head jerked up as a low sound came from ahead of her. It sounded like a rock pile, tumbling down. It startled her to her feet unsteadily as she saw a shadow flicker.

"H-hello?" Her stutter only made worse by the mysterious shape, she nonetheless inched forward. She tip-toed around the small pond, her feet brushing the flowers gently. Pulling the branches aside, she saw what had made the noise. A small hole, just the size for a small child, had appeared in the wall. And next to it, was a wounded boy.

She couldn't draw her eyes away from the boy. He crouched, licking his bloody hand like come kind of wounded animal. He was barefoot and rugged, his clothes tattered and dirty. Still, she could see his small muscles on his stomach and arms, and his tan skin dirtied with dust and grime. The thing that drew her eyes the most was not the barely clothed body, but his head. His face, as he looked up quickly as she emerged from the forest. Three dark whisker marks spread from the sides of his mouth to this neck. Bright, thought dirty, blond hair went down to his chin, wildly sticking up in random directions. His bright blue eyes pierced hers, and a blush broke over her face.

The children stared at each other for a moment. Hinata, in her formal dress, and Naruto, crouched and licking his broken hand.

Surprisingly, Hinata moved first. She inched forward, one hand outstretched. But the mysterious blond boy flinched, and she paused. Didn't her dad always tell her, wild animals are more afraid of you than you are of them? That was what the boy reminded her of, a scared wild animal.

Suddenly she found courage. The poor boy was bleeding, with no way to stop it. She crouched down next to the boy, who couldn't move due to his back being, literally, up against a wall. Hinata reached to her left sleeve and ripped a piece off. She flinched as she looked at the strip of nice material that was no longer attached to the rest of the dress. The nanny would kill her. She reached out again, but the boy flinched and tried to scramble away.

"Wait." She whispered words of encouragement. "I won't hurt you, promise." He cocked his head at her and muttered some strange words in return. Hinata smiled wearily. She could get into so much trouble for this! "It's okay, I promise. See? I'm trying to help." Her hand eventually found the boys, and she gently wrapped the cloth around the wound. Weird, it was bleeding just a moment ago, but now it looks days old. It might have been a trick of the light. She sighed, setting the boy's hand down gently. He stared at her, now more curious than afraid. Hinata stared, not at him, but at the hole.

There was her outside. Now that she had the chance, she could go see what it was like. Just thinking about it made her hands shake. She could get in a lot of trouble, but still. She leaned forward, past the boy to peer out. There were trees, and it was awfully dark…She became aware that the boy was still staring. She coughed and turned her attention to him.

"M-my name is, is Hinata." She stuck out her hand awkwardly. The boy looked at her, then to her hand and back to her. She smiled weakly. He was so cute. At that thought, she blushed more. "W-what's your na-name?" She asked gently. The blond boy cocked his head, and Hinata once again looked outside the hole. The boy looked from her to the hole and opened his mouth.

"Jinka los maka nert lud?" Hinata flinched and stared at him. He continued to speak. "Bloka Naruto nani ko chas tu. Ed…edie co?" The boy looked at her with worry and confusion.

She smiled. "It's okay, I-I don't understand y-you either." The light of her house's lantern flashed and her eyes darted to his chest. "W-what's that?"

He looked down to his chest, then back to her, a wide smile on his face. He pulled the chain forward, and she leaned in, blushing the whole time, to see it. To her surprise, it had words on it. Words she could read.

"N-naruto?" Why did he have a necklace that said fishcake on it?

"Cos lan di?" He said suddenly. "Dogi tai ma…" He clutched the chain to his chest again. "Naruto aoi. Boka?"

This time it was Hinata's turn to be confused. "I-I don't understand." She shook her head. "I know…Naruto sounds familiar, and not just because of the food…" She had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with the Hokage….

The boy was nodding his head vigorously. "Naruto aoi! Aoi!" He pointed to himself hurriedly. "Naruto ce aoi dogai."

Hinata's eyes widened as she smiled. Gently, she put her hand on the boy's chest. "Naruto? Is-is that you?"

"Naruto!" He smiled.

Hinata pointed to herself. "Hinata. Hinata…a-aoi?" The boy-Naruto-got a glint in his eye and nodded again.

"Hinata." Naruto's smile got even wider. Hinata couldn't help but smile back.

"Well N-Naruto." Her blue hair swung into her face as she blushed more. "Want t-to keep me c-company?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Also, thanks to Akatsuki-cloak for writing the part of Minato! Hopefully, readers, you will see both our writing in this entire story. **

**Please review if you're going to read this. If I have enough time to write this sh…stuff out, than you should be able to manage a FEW sentences. Dunderheads. But I say that with love, of course.**

**I apologize if this is more of a hurried explanation chapter. We need to move onto more…fun things. ;)**

**Also, **_Italics_** now mean that Hinata and Naruto are speaking His language.**

~Minato~

It was the worst day for the citizens of Konoha since the third great shinobi war. Countless lives had already been lost and more were sure to follow. The day the Kyuubi no kitsune attacked. It had come out of nowhere, and they only had a few days to prepare. All the ninja of Konoha had fought as hard as they could to defend the village.

Just when all hope seemed lost, the Yondaime hokage, Minato Namikaze arrived on top of his summon, Gamabunta, prepared to fight. He seemed to light the darkness, and all his citizens turned to him as their beacon of hope.

"It's the Yondaime, we're saved!" A random ANBU shouted, receiving cheers from all ninja who heard him.

The Yondaime just stood on top of Gamabunta with a solemn look on his face, and a small child no more than a few minutes old in his arms.

Many ninja wondered what the fourth was doing bringing a child to the battlefield, but none questioned his decision. Especially since they knew his wife had been pregnant, and the child had suspiciously familiar yellow hair…

"Bunta, its time." He stated solemnly.

"**Are you sure there is no other way to reseal this thing?" **Gamabunta asked Minato.

"I'm afraid not. This is the only way to stop this thing once and for all." He said as he began the long series of handsigns that would save Konoha, but would kill him and most likely sentence his son to a horrible life. It was a hard decision, one he knew would end and create suffering, but he had to do it. He knew his son was going to grow up without parents, his wife Kushina being on deaths door after giving birth to Naruto, and he was about to lose his life. He just hoped that the Sandaime would take care of him. "Bunta, distract him as long as you can." He ordered.

"**It will be an honor to fight with you in your last battle." **Gamabunta replied. He then lunged at the giant nine tailed fox.

As the fourth flashed through the long series of handsigns his mind wondered to what would happen to his son after he sealed the fox away into him. He had already told the Sandaime that he wanted the boy to be seen as a hero. But he was a realist and he knew that there was a very slim chance of that happening. His heart ached as the bundle in his arms stirred, and he realized this would be the last time he would ever see his son. Minato blinked away stinging tears quickly.

Flashback remote location outside of Konoha

"_But minato, why don't you just seal it back into me? I'm dying anyway so it will die when I do." Kushina pleaded to her husband. She was weak, leaning against a tree for support._

"_Because Kushina, both you and your seal are weakened, were I to seal it back into you, it would most likely break free immediately." He tried to reason with his wife, albeit halfheartedly. This whole situation was messed up…_

"_B-but what will happen to naru-chan with both of us gone?"Kushina bit back tears and tried to remain calm. She couldn't leave her son, an orphan!_

"_I'm sure Sarutobi or Jiraiya sensei will take care of him, after all Jiraiya is his godfather." He tried to calm his wife, but to tell the truth he was also worried about what would happen to their son after they were gone._

"_Honey…" he started._

"_I know, it's time for you to go." She said as she gave her son one last kiss then handed Naruto to Minato. _

_Minato leaned down and gave his wife one last embrace, before leaving in a yellow flash to the battlefield._

_End flash back _

As he finished the handsigns he slammed his hand down on the ground. "Summoning jutsu!" to everyone around him nothing happened, but minato saw the terrifying form of the shinigami rise up. This was it, the first and last time he would use this jutsu. It was horrible, sad, frightening but necessary. He had work to do, as Hokage.

"**Why have you summoned me?" **the shinigami demanded.

"Shinnigami sama, I summoned you to seal away the nine tailed fox into my son." Minato replied solemnly.

"**You are aware of the price?"**Minato just nodded **"Very well." **The shinigami then reached his hand through Minato and grabbed a hold of the Kyuubi, his hand stretching and wrapping itself around one of the beast's tail. As soon as Kyuubi realized what was happening he started struggling with all his power, but it was a futile attempt.

There was a horrible scream as the shinigami pulled, yanking the huge demon into the now crying infant. As the last of the Kyuubi's soul and chakra went into the seal on Naruto's stomach, "Shiki fuin!" the seal glowed, then faded back to black.

His work done, and the payment to be collected, the shinigami then proceeded to extract the Yondaime soul as payment for the sealing. The Yellow Flash also screamed, his voice echoing to many across the battle field. It felt like he was burning from the inside, his vision flashed in and out. His breath was taken away, and he could feel his consciousness slip. The man gasped as he came to stare at the back of his head.

Just as his soul was almost pulled out of him, Minato's legs barely grabbing onto his body, a jet blast of water that seemed to come out of nowhere hit him and knocked him and the shinigami away from each other.

When minato woke up flying through the air he managed to right himself just before impact. He was immediately surrounded by the ninja of the village celebrating and congratulating him. But his eyes widened as he realized his son was gone. The hokage immediately stopped them and set out on a search for his son, with the ninja population, and soon the citizens, following.

After hours of searching, his son was nowhere to be found. His men, some still bleeding from the battle, grew ever frantic. Their Hokage had saved them, but they couldn't even find his son! Minato watched in despair. Even though he wanted to continue the search, he knew his ninjas needed rest, but he also knew they wouldn't stop until he did. So he stopped the search so his ninja's could get medical attention and much needed rest, as did he.

After returning from the battle field he found, much to his happiness, that his wife would survive after a little while in intensive care. Of course the first thing she asked when she saw him was 'how are you alive and where is naruto?' He explained, after much crying and hugging, that somehow he had survived the sealing, and that the same attack that had saved him, had knocked Naruto away and no one could find him.

Kushina of course tried to go search for her son, but was stopped after some reasoning from Minato…..and restraining from some ANBU. But just like minato she didn't understand how a village full of ninja couldn't find a baby.

Minato and Kushina grieved intensely for nearly a year after the attack for their son. Neither one even did any work in the months following, so much so that the Sandaime had to temporarily take back over as hokage. The villagers didn't mind, and of course they felt the pain and sorrow of their dearly beloved Hokage and his wife. Kushina became even more violent, and snapped at anyone who mentioned something that could be even remotely associated with her lost son. They still hadn't given up hope. But it was getting less and less likely that he was alive, and they knew it.

Kushina, having been the former jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, knew that the Kyuubi could have kept Naruto alive for a year, maybe a little more depending on conditions. But he was still a baby and needed things Kyuubi just couldn't give him.

After a few years they had stopped actively searching for him, after much agonizing and pushing from the Elders about wasting recourses. They still believed somehow he was alive, maybe someone found him and took him in, or the Kyuubi managed to keep him alive by some means, maybe even he was raised by animals. They thought of any reason he would be alive.

In the years following the attack the village recovered, there was a promising group of ninja being trained and the village was prospering. Among the ninjas came a promising new child. Her name was Rin, and Kushina cried when she found she was pregnant with her.

They hugged each other and laughed, knowing they could never replace Naruto, nor could they give up on him. But the gift of another child was more than they had ever imagined. The girl was born, and along with her new hope. A celebration was held, the village laughing and clapping when they saw the babe.

The villagers worked hard to find Naruto, and did their best to protect Rin. They loved the smiling girl, who brought them new hope. Maybe their Hokage had forgiven them for not finding his son?

Even though during the last eight years no one had seen his son, Minato still held on to the hope that he was alive. Every time a team went out he gave them Naruto's description. Every time he went out, which wasn't often, he would evern ask other small village head and Hokages. But none ever came back with anything more than rumors they had heard, and he never got anything but an apology and a sad look.

Some heard rumors of people that said they had seen him, or sometimes it was his ghost. Some claimed to be attacked by a young boy in the forest, but nothing definitive ever came up about Naruto.

One day Jiraiya came back to the village. The man usually came to take the husband, wife and the two year old out to dinner and try to make them laugh once again. But this time, he came back with a more interesting story.

He came into his office with pink hair. For the first time in a very long time, Minato laughed. He laughed so hard he almost cried as he summoned Kushina and they laughed together. Once Jiraiya saw his reflection, he managed to laugh as well. It was ridiculous, and he had to give the young boy some credit. Speaking of..

Their old friend managed to convince the happy couple to sit down. He had important news about their son. Before explaining, he told them a story. A strange, wild boy had attacked him from the forest. The boy was too fast to be anything but a ninja, and the battle didn't last long. It was only until the smoke cleared that he saw the child.

At first, Jiraiya explained, he thought it was Minato. The boy looked so much like him it was astonishing. Spiky yellow hair, bright blue eyes that burned with curiosity. The only difference was…he had whisker marks on his cheeks, three on each side.

Kushina burst into tears, sobbing on her husband's shoulder happily. Minato, always cautious, questioned. Of course his old friend had called out, but the boy turned and ran before they could speak to each other. Minato is skeptical, not because he thinks his friend is lying but because…

How did Naruto survive all these years alone? Why would he be pranking travelers? It matched the rumors though, the rumors he refused to believe before now. Has someone been teaching him? And most importantly, how can they find him? What if someone finds him first, like Madera Uchiha?

~Naruto~

And so Naruto found his first friend in eight years. She was a human, so Kyuubi was furious. Even more so when Naruto decided to skip training once a week to visit her.

Though they spoke different languages, both children taught other. On their first night, Hinata had taken Naruto to the festival, bought him the typical festival fox mask and showed him around, pointing out things like "ramen" and "Onigiri" and "Fireworks". The girl had even scolded him when she caught Naruto stealing, even though he gave half the treats he stole to her. Naruto didn't understand her much. Hinata fainted if he got to close, or said something in a certain way. She didn't like him stealing, even though that was the way Naruto learned to survive. Her face was always red, and though she wanted to be free from her family she wouldn't leave.

One night, the family saw the secret hole and closed it up with even harder material. Hinata cried all day, fearing she would lose her best friend she had come to know over the months. He was the one she talked too, and he gave her advice (though it was usually flawed). Teaching Naruto her words and learning his from him gave Hinata an insight she had never imagined. New words came new possibilities, and from a new friend came even more. She cried, cursing the wall like never before for keeping her friend at bay.

But over the months, Naruto had gotten stronger. Sirens woke Hinata from her tear filled sleep and her family, being ninjas, jumped into action. For hours she cowered in fear. Finally to calm herself, she stepped out to the garden.

Naruto was waiting for her.

Once a week or more, Naruto would knock some ninjas out (Hinata got mad if he killed anyone) and snuck over the wall. Security tightened for both Naruto and Hinata, but that only strengthened them as they learned to evade detection and sneak out.

Hinata wrote in the dirt with a stick, letters that just looked like squiggly lines to Naruto. Hinata even saved up her allowance, and picking up that old fox mask, she lead a hidden Naruto into the village to eat Ramen, his favorite food. Once she joined the academy, she told Naruto of all the things she learned. Teaching him the material and jutsus helped her grow even more.

She had a training partner now. They could even go into the training grounds and spar, as long as Naruto put his mask on while walking around the village. Even Kyuubi had to admit it was good practice, fighting with someone else. Even though Naruto went easy on her most of the time, he got his butt kicked if her hand landed one strike.

Hinata grew with confidence. Being around Naruto's crazy and hyper self made Hinata not so shy, not so nervous. Her stutter became less and less pronounced. Her hair grew longer, but she made sure to cut Naruto's every few months. They grew together, becoming taller and stronger. They still talked to each other every week, never missing a date.

Their relationship grew to encompass things Hinata never was interested in before. The day he grabbed her hand and didn't let go started a new type of friendship. They told each other everything, talking until the sun came up. Sometimes, Hinata would fall asleep on his shoulder or under his arm, listening to his stories about the wild forest and the animals he's met.

Naruto even egged, spray painted, and other wise destroyed the houses of her bullies. They never bothered her at school again. She didn't know, but Naruto had woke the boys up and threatened them (with his mask on of course). They had been convinced it was a dream until the children spoke to each other about it. Never would they touch Naruto's property again!

Naruto would bring Hinata pretty things he found on his travels. A shell from the ocean was her favorite, a place she's never even seen but always wanted too. One night, Naruto climbed a tree, carrying Hinata much to her protest. Setting her down on the top, he pointed past the wall, past the forest. He told her stories of the blue water, the smell and the feel. He made a promise to take her there one day.

Though Naruto had no place to be, he often traveled on Kyuubi's instructions to train or avoid an attack from a nasty brand of ninja. He thought they were called the Akatsuki. He brought her exotic flowers from other lands, sweets from nearby villages. He insisted he paid for them, didn't steal. However he refrained from mentioning where he got the money to pay for it in the first place.

Hinata grew stronger in her personal training. She learned how to do the jutsu; Eight trigrams empty palm, along with eight trigrams thirty two palms. Although she pined for her father's acceptance, she kept her advancement a secret in order to learn more on her own. Instead, she told Naruto. The boy was thoroughly impressed, smiling and even going so far as to yell excitedly. She was even working on perfecting the Byakugan, increasing the range to 70 meters or so.

Naruto was also getting stronger, by prompting from Hinata and Kyuubi. He had already gotten the Tailed beast ball down, now only practicing to increase how much chakra he could put into it and how large he could make it. By 11 years old, he had already surpassed Kyuubi's expectation of him, but would never tell the boy that. Naruto could use the Kyuubi's chakra arms to some extent, but seemed more adept at using the nine tails to deflect attack and move about.

To Kyuubi's dismay, the young boy's appetite grew beyond normal measure. Besides that, there didn't seem to be any physical disproportions, or odd behavior, caused by the fox's chakra. Besides the perk of being able to heal almost all wounds quickly, the boy seemed relatively unaffected.

The villagers began to grow weary. Hinata and Naruto had been sneaking around for almost three years now, and every week the villagers would wonder who was breaking into Konoha. They got no answers, even after placing more and more guards surrounding the walls. The Elders began to set more and more measures, flying over the Hokage's head to protect Konoha. But the extra guards never stopped Naruto. Soon, extra guards began to mean extra people in the hospital.

Still, no one suspected the masked boy that Hinata pulled around the village every wendsday.

~Minato~

One day he went out for ramen to get away from the duties of hokage, and think about his next course of action. Minato, though it had been around three years since the news of Naruto being alive, still hadn't found him. He should be what, eleven now? Time seemed to pass quickly once they had another child, their days being caught up in her bright smile.

Rin was six years old. It was a hard time sometimes, with her not wanting to lose any kind of game and constantly asking for snacks. Still, Minato was a bit protective of his little girl. She looked so innocent, with her grey-blue eyes begging him for things. Her shoulder length red hair had natural blond streaks, though Kushina kept the child's hair in pig tails most of the time.

He was sitting at his favorite ramen stand-Ichiraku's enjoying his fifth bowl of ramen as his mind wandered between his children. With a desperate curiosity, he tried to imagine what Naruto was doing right now. He tried to imagine his only son, his oldest child, living in the forest.

Minato looked around, examining the bustling city. Only then did he see a boy in a fox mask being pulled down the street by a happy Hinata. He started and smiled a small smile, happy that Hinata was growing outward. But there was something about that masked child…he initially brushed it off. "_I wonder who that boy was? Hinata isn't usually that happy. Maybe Teuchi knows who he is?"_

"Hey Teuchi, do you know a boy that wears a fox mask? I just saw him run by with Hinata."

"Oh yeah he's one of my best customers, though I don't know much about him." The man grinned and looked for the boy he knew would buy all his food. "He goes by 'N' and his favorite is miso ramen. And boy can he put it down, but other than that I don't know much. He always wears that mask, I think he said it was special because it was his first birthday present. Ya know, those masks everyone buys at the Kyuubi festival? Yeah, those ones."

"Ok thanks Teuchi." He was going to bring it up to Jiraiya and Kushina but decided otherwise. He had too much on his plate to worry about anything else, even Hinata. "Well I better get back to work see you later." Minato got up and paid for his meal then left.

"See ya." Teuchi said with a wave.

~Naruto~

Hinata laughed out loud as Naruto got distracted, once again by the weapons shop. After being taught how to read, Naruto bought book after book with what money he had and that book would be his next project. Hinata smiled and didn't blush at all as the shop owner and Naruto spoke quickly about weapons and what book he should buy next. N had wormed his way into various villagers hearts, and much to Hinata's embarrassment and pleasure she came along with the ride.

"Hinata come here!" Naruto yelled, proudly displaying his next book. "_The book of Tanto_" it read. "Doesn't it look cool?"

Hinata shuffled forward, looking at the book. "Tanto's this time?" Naruto nodded happily and rummaged in his pocket for money. The kunoichi smiled and looked to the window, where Shikimaru was standing casually. "Come on N hurry up. S-Shika said he would take us somewhere cool today."

Naruto nodded again, his expression hidden by the mask as he handed over the money and thanked the man. Shikamaru had joined their small group not long after entering the academy. Knowing Shikimaru, he figured things out very quickly. But to Naruto and Hinata's surprise, the boy didn't tell on them for sneaking around. Instead, all he wanted was to be included in the group and see what was under N's mask.

Their new friend had acted odd for a while, asking questions about his parents and how he lived in the forest. But soon the questions ended, and Shikimaru came to like the pair and their oddities. Hinata and Naruto even tried to teach him a few words of demon-speak.

"So Shika, where are we going?" N asked as he walked out, new book under hand. Shikamaru sighed and looked up to the sky. The three 11 year olds walked in the street, N in the middle, Hinata to his left and Shikamaru to his right. Hinata was smiling as she reached over and only with a slight blush grabbed N's hand. N squeezed and glanced over.

"There's a great spot to see the clouds. It's also quiet and I thought, since the problems in your family have been escalating Hinata, we would need a new place to meet N coming over the wall. It's also a fairly safe place to take your mask off N, and read those books of yours." As usual, Hinata and N gasped at his brilliance. Shikamaru just rolled his eyes, but smiled a small bit. "I don't mind sharing the spot with you guys, I guess."

N and Hinata both glomped the poor boy, who stood unmoving, rigid as a tree. The children laughed and thanked him, yanking on both his hands to show them where this secret spot is. Shikimaru laughed at their enthusiasm. That's why he liked these two. They always made him feel important, and most of all they made up for his lack of interest.

Shikimaru knew at once N had been the one sneaking over the wall for the last few years. But the boy, instead of being sneaky and spy-like, was loud and obnoxious. There was no way he was a spy from another village, even though the story with him living in the forest was suspicious. So Shikimaru relaxed, even though his suspicions about the blond boy having something to do with the hokage, and even his missing son, kept on going. Still, N hadn't known their language at all, and now he knew all kinds of things considered normal for people to know in Konoha. Hinata had helped him calm down a bit as well, taking things in before making a decision.

Hinata on the other hand, was benefiting even more from this relationship. Her stutter, when around N, was almost completely non-existent. She was standing up for herself, gaining confidence each week. It was intriguing to watch.

Even Shikimaru had smiled a few times, a rarity for him. N, who he was fairly sure was the Hokage's lost son, smiled and laughed and made jokes just like the hokage used to. Shikamaru felt wanted, even though he despised the nick-name they gave him.

Shikimaru once again smiled, welcoming the warm feeling in his heart, as the two pre-teens pulled him along. "I can't show you where it is with you both pulling on me!" He almost let some emotion inflict into his voice.

Just goes to show what an influence friends have on people.

~N~

N gasped and slid off his mask to see better. Hinata let go of his hand and stepped forward, looking out at the view. Shikimaru just smiled in the background, watching their reactions.

N's orange jacket, the one Shikimaru bought him for his last birthday, shown against the blue sky. His dark T-shirt was one he bought himself, and his dark blue cargo pants were also bought at a nearby village.

Hinata had her hair tied into a small pony tail at the back of her head, going down to her lower shoulders. A bright purple skirt showed how much she changed as it barely skimmed her knees. A dark blue turtleneck hugged her tightly. She wore regular blue ninja sandals and N stood barefoot.

Shikimaru smiled again. He had only known N for a few, but Hinata he knew before. She was always so shy, but now…

"Shikimaru!" Was the only warning before said kunoichi knocked into him once again. With another bump he felt N embrace him as well.

Struggling to breath, Shikimaru gasped. "It's just, wasn't that hard…to find! Get off me please…" They detached themselves, smiling sheepishly. N rubbed the back of his neck and Hinata touched her fingers together in front of her. "Troublesome…" He muttered.

All three turned to look out, over the cliff and to Konoha. They were standing on the Hokage's head, watching the sun set in a splash of purple and orange. The three of them smiled after a while, turning to look at each other.

"Alright!" N fist pumped the air and grinned. "Tanto time!" He whipped out the book and sat on the edge, his feet hanging dangerously over the rim. Hinata smiled and looked to Shikamaru, who just rolled his eyes. Nevertheless, both took seats next to the bright boy.

How the boy managed to get Hinata to stop stuttering and Shikimaru to actually do something, they would never know.


End file.
